Native American Zuni Turtle Fetish Carving

What is a Fetish?

A fetish is a rock carving of an animal that captures the spirit and the essence of the animal, not necessarily its exact detailed conformation. Although carved from many types of rock, fishrock is traditional. Read more about fetishes.

TURTLE - Nurturer, Protector, Mother Energy, Mother Earth. Turtle's medicine includes connection with Great Spirit, journeys of discovery, patience, feminine strength, power to heal female diseases, inspiration, protecting oneself snd others, self-reliance, and tenacity, longevity.

HEART LINE - The heart line is a line etched, painted or inlaid along one or both sides of the animal. It usually extends from the mouth to the region of the heart. There are many interpretations as to what a heart line represents, but it is often said to represent the pathway of the breath of the animal to the life force which is the heart. Others feel that the heart line points to the soul of the animal. It is thought that a heart line gives the fetish healing or medicinal power.

JET (Acoma Jet) - A solid, durable type of lignite coal that originated from wood. It is mined around the Acoma Pueblo region, among other places, thus the name Acoma Jet, or Jet for short. It is very popular for carving fetishes. It is also used for inlaying but usually not used in stone sets.
Read about stones.